Sports can be a reminder of the good around us

Last Wednesday, seven individuals who made their mark or spent their formative years in the area were inducted into the Stockton Athletic Hall of Fame. In the audience at Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium that night was Eddie Macon, who makes his home in Daly City. Macon, still spry at age 85, broke the color line as a running back at College of the Pacific and with the Chicago Bears. Seated next to him was Shirley Washington, the widow of former Edison coaching legend, the late Charlie Washington. Across from her was Lawrence Brice, a former outstanding football player at Edison.

Van Sweet was there, so was Candace Harper, Pete Turner Jr., Don Norton, Dave Fisher, Jayne Gibson-McHugh, Pat Doyle, Gary Scott, Bob Amerman, Hank Pericle, Mary Ann Paz and on and on. Whether you know some or all of the names, it was a great night and a fun celebration of Stockton's athletic legacy.

On Thursday, I spent a few moments with former Pacific football player and Edison football coach Elliott Burke. With him was Lavelle Hawkins, one of Burke's players at Edison now in his fifth season as a wide receiver with the Tennessee Titans. Hawkins was in town last week to visit his family and friends during the Titans' bye. He headed back to Nashville, Tenn., today.

The hall of fame banquet, and the visit with Burke and Hawkins confirmed a point all of us need to reflect on from time to time. Yes, Stockton has its problems. But there are a lot of good people who have come through these parts or who have made this community their permanent home. Even those who have moved on to other places still feel a deep connection with this community. Derek Kennard, an Edison grad and former NFL offensive lineman who won a Super Bowl ring with the Dallas Cowboys, traveled from his home in Phoenix to be inducted into the hall of fame. He visited his high school alma mater and spoke with students there earlier Wednesday.

Lodi High grad and five-time PGA Tour and PGA Senior Tour winner Bob Eastwood traveled 1,600 miles from his home in Stephenville, Texas, to thank his supporters as he was inducted. Others traveled long distances to be there, while another inductee, Patty Berg-Burnett, a Lodi High grad, former All-American volleyball player at Pacific and longtime physical education teacher and coach in Lodi Unified School District, and Modesto resident Sam Dickerson, who was inducted for his prowess on the football field at Franklin and USC, have always called this area their home.

Hawkins comes to Stockton whenever the Titans are on a bye. He was raised here. He made friends here like Lynell Hamilton and Chris Henry, his teammates at Edison who also have played in the NFL. Stockton is home to their brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and mothers and grandmothers.

"I'm definitely home on the bye," said Hawkins, 26, who is under contract with Tennessee through 2015. "I always come home and try to see my family and get some family time and just relax."

Hawkins, Hamilton and Henry give back to their hometown, as they have helped organize and put on an annual football clinic for area kids in the summer with help from Edison grad Darren Arbet, the three-time Arena Bowl champion head coach of the San Jose SaberCats, and many others. Hawkins said he's looking forward to next year's clinic in July.

"I'm also working on my foundation to get that up and running," Hawkins said. "And I look forward to having a toy giveaway for kids around Christmas in the future. That's my next thing."

Hawkins could do those things anywhere he wanted. But he does them here, in Stockton, his hometown. There is a lot of good in this community. We just need to remind ourselves every now and then.